Reviews

We contacted Jo before I even told our parents that we were expecting. Having a doula was important to us, and I wanted somebody with us that we not only felt comfortable with, but that we felt confident would advocate for us on our behalf, especially if things didn't go according to plan. My son was born 10 days post date, and Jo was in contact with me daily to keep me calm and optimistic about delivering naturally. I was in contact with Jo several times the day I went into labour. When we arrived at the hospital, the midwives encouraged us to head home, as I was only at 3cm, and had only been in labour for a 2.5 hours. Jo insisted that we stay, as my family has a history of short labours, and after some initial resistance, the hospital agreed. My son was born less than two hours later.

Although my L&D was very straightforward, I couldn't imagine going through it without Jo with us. She was there to support me throughout the pregnancy, to advocate on our behalf, which allowed me to remain calm and focused for our delivery.

Jo was our Doula for the birth of our beautiful son Jackson on 11 May 2014. We first met Jo at a hospital open evening and it was clear how knowledgable and passionate she was about helping families achieve the births that they want and deserve. We felt incredibly well prepared in advance of the birth, having met with Jo a couple of times and worked through our birthing plan together. In the days building up to the birth, Jo was always available for us to contact with any questions and provided my wife with lots of reassurance via texts and emails. On the day of (and day before the birth) Jo provided first class support to us, which contributed massively to helping both my wife and baby stay calm so that we could achieve the natural, medication free, child birth that we wanted. Throughout the labour process, Jo helped to keep my wife (and me) calm, offered plenty of reassurance and also helped to manage communications with the midwifes. Without Jo being present at our birth, I don't think that we could have stayed on course with our birth plan and as a result of her hard work with us, we were rewarded with a calm, beautiful and happy little boy! After the birth, Jo provided invaluable support for my wife during the post labour procedures whilst I was afforded priceless time to bond quietly with my son. It will be a couple of years (my wife tells me...) but we wouldn't even think about going through a second birth without Jo.

Jo is amazing! We just wish we had found her before having our baby so that she could've helped us through our somewhat traumatic birth experience. As it was, we contacted her 2 weeks in when we were at our lowest ebb. Jo immediately calmed us down via supportive text messages before we had even met! She was so supportive and helped us to feel that we could do this parenting thing, this was especially helpful when my husband went back to work. Jo would feed the baby while I had a shower ( or slept! ), whizz the Hoover around, tidy the kitchen all while keeping an eye on the little one. It was so great to have someone to chat to and ask advice when you are feeling so overwhelmed and neurotic!Do not think twice about inviting this fabulous lady into your life!

I decided to hire a doula when, late in the pregnancy, my plan to have a private obstetrician oversee the birth did not work out. At the time I was feeling lost and that I needed extra support and as soon as I met Jo I felt she was the right person to put me at ease. From the start I told Jo that the main aim of my birth plan was to avoid a long natural labour ending in a caesarean section. Like many women, I felt this was the worst of both worlds: pain from the labour as well as pain from the surgery. As it happened, my labour was very long with a lot of medical supervision and at various points the consultant would suggest I could have a c-section to get the process over and done with. Jo never left my side throughout the many hours of labour , she was very encouraging & positive, she helped keep me and my husband calm. She helped me believe in myself that I could give birth naturally & despite being exhausted from a long labour I gave birth to my baby girl without surgery. I'm convinced that because of Jo I was able to stay as close as possible to my birth plan and therefore avoid the c-section which I was trying to avoid. Jo was also of invaluable support in the days prior to and after the birth with her words of encouragement and positivity she helped dispel my fears and anxiety & was super-responsive to my texts and emails. I would highly recommend Jo to any expectant parents.

A postnatal visit from Jo is like having one of your loveliest girlfriends pop in, listen to you witter senselessly about dirty nappies and how many times you got woken up the night before, play with your toddler, cuddle your baby while you shower, make you a sandwich and leave you with a smile on your face and a lovely clean kitchen.

I only wish I'd had her first time round. If you're having a baby and don't have family in the area or friends who are around in the daytime, a postnatal doula is a great solution, and Jo is absolutely fantastic.

My son was born in June 2013 and as I don't have any close family nearby I decided to hire a doula. I liked Jo as soon as I met her and knew she would be great for us. Our birth didn't quite go according to plan and I had an emergency C-section after 8 hours of labour. Jo was amazing throughout, she was really supportive of both my husband and me and it was very reassuring having her with us the whole time. It was also lovely that she came to visit us again the next day to make sure we were all ok. I would highly recommend Jo, she has a lovely warm personality and we felt her support was invaluable.

On first meeting Jo I knew that she would be perfect to help me through my second child birth last march. She has a very worm and gentle personality, and I instantly felt very comfortable talking to her about the birth. She was there as soon as I needed here and was very sensitive to my ideas of how I wanted the birth to go. She was very reassuring to me throughout and her support was invaluable. I would highly recommend Jo to anyone who is looking for a doula in this area, as you really are getting a loving hand of help and support.

We had been advised to contact a doula by a close friend who couldn't speak highly enough of the help her doula was for her first birth. After a lot of research we decided to ask Jo to be our doula due to reviews, her knowledge of our local hospital and most importantly her friendly and approachable personality. Jo was helpful from the start - made it clear that if I had any questions or concerns during the pregnancy that I could contact her. The antenatal appointment was very useful and we discussed the birth plan and hopes for the birth in detail. On the day of the birth Jo came straight over to our home after we contacted her and having her with us during the early stages was very reassuring and resulted in us staying calm and not going to the hospital too soon. Whilst at the hospital Jo was fantastic. She spent a lot of time reassuring me that everything was going well and helping both myself and my husband stay calm. I believe we wouldn't have had as positive a birth experience if Jo had not been with us. After our beautiful baby was born Jo stayed with us until we were settled and helped with breast feeding. After the birth Jo has stayed in contact and it was lovely when she came to visit after the birth. I would definitely recommend Jo - she is very friendly and I instantly felt at ease around her. During the birth it was invaluable to have someone experienced with us to reassure us that everything was progressing normally especially since it was our 1st baby.

I recently used Jo as my birth doula. She was fabulous. She was a real support in the run up to the birth, helping with advice about delivering naturally with no assistance. Both myself and my partner found it very reassuring to have her present at the birth. She assisted me with latching on for the first feed and this gave me the confidence for breastfeeding on returning home. She is very warm and friendly and I would highly recommend her services.

Just had twins. I had Jo as my doula. And it is the best decisions I ever made during my pregnancy. My water broke at 3in the morning. Texted Jo and she was in hospital within half an hour. Her experience really helped me stay calm during labour. She is just amazing. She visited me couple times during my pregnancy. she helped me design a lovely birth plan. there's always something unpredictable during labour. It's so important to have someone who got the right experience to make you feel assured. She is that person for me. Between the choice of a section and natural delivery, with her support, I managed to made the right decision and had a natural birth for my twins. I am so grateful that she was there, stand besides me that day. Even my midwife is impressed with her. She keeps telling people that Jo is the best doula she ever met. Also worth to mention that my consultant booked me for induction at 38weeks. But I really want it starts naturally. Jo suggested me a list of things that could start a natural labour and she also recommend me her reflexologist to help. After trying hard,the labour kick start on its own 3 days before the scheduled induction date. She's so good at what she does. we definitely love her! It's a bless to have twins. It's a bless to have Jo.

With family living abroad, I decided that I wanted the support of a Doula to help in the first period after I gave birth. I knew the minute I met Jo that I had found someone who was kind, warm, reliable & that I could be myself with at a vulnerable time. That's a big deal. I knew I wouldn't have to pretend to be coping if I wasn't, that I could be honest with my feelings & that she would support, advise without imposing & nurture both my daughter & I. And she did. I loved knowing that in 'x' number of "sleeps" Jo would be arriving at my door with a hug for me & a cuddle with Iris while I showered or slept. Seeing my daughter in Jo's arms gave me reassurance & helped me feel more at ease in the transition to motherhood too. I cannot recommend Jo highly enough. I feel utterly blessed to have had her grace the life of our little family. I am not sure she realises quite how much the generosity of her spirit impacted on me but when I reflect on my early days with Iris, a sense of Jo's warmth prevails.

Jo has helped me with my twins postnatally. Not only is Jo very practical,she has bonded well with the twins and there isn't much she won't do, it's like having a friend round to help you! I would highly recommend her.

Having been apprehensive about the arrival of our first child, we were recommended to Jo by a friend who had used her for their pregnancy. Jo quickly understood the concerns I had about the birth and established a close bond throughout the anti natal period. I found this to be a communication channel that was both reassuring and personal to my situation. Our big moment came just after Christmas and despite being away with her family for the Christmas break she was there immediately when labour started. The birth was a stressful experience with complications that were not forseen but Jo was there throughout giving calming reassurance to both me and my partner. Our beautiful baby daughter was born via emergency c-section and despite needing some personal recovery time after the operation Jo was with us in the recovery room for some time. It was an emotional experience with tears shed by myself, my partner and Jo, again highlighting how passionate Jo was through the whole experience. The best recommendation i can give is two fold. Firstly from comments the midwives made, that they thought she was my sister with how close she was and how most doulas get too involved medically with the process, they were thankful that she let them get on with doing their job and assisted when required. Secondy I can genuinely say I have made a friend whom I am certain I will remain in contact with forever.

I recently used Jo as my birth doula. She was fabulous. She was a real support in the run up to the birth, helping with advice re breech babies, induction etc Both myself and my partner found it very reassuring to have her present at the birth. She is now helping me postnatally with jobs in the house, helping with my toddler etc. She is very warm and friendly and I would highly recommend her services.

Hi, I have used Jo for help postnatally with my 2nd baby - really wish I'd known her 5 years ago when I had my first baby! She is a really lovely lady and a pleasure to have in the house, it's so great having someone around who can help me with either house jobs or with the baby - in fact Jo normally does both at the same time :-) I can't recommend her highly enough, she is totally reliable and worth every single penny.

Jo helped me out after the birth of my second child for a few hours a day regularly for a number of weeks after my husband went back to work then every so often after that. She was great to have around, got on great with the baby, helped out in literally every way taking the pressure off me and allowing me to rest etc. Unlike other helpers I spoke to, who were only interested in caring for the baby, Jo was focused on making my life easier and supporting me. I felt very comfortable having her in my home. I'd thoroughly recommend her.

HiJo Eatherton was my doula for my first baby.It was the best thing we did booking Jo, she helped me through my labour which was complicated as I was induced but nothing happened and she also went down for my C Section with me. It was good having someone with you who understands what you are going through and just supports you in a way that your partner might not be able to. Jo was so understanding of our situation and she was very supportive after the birth as well as I had to go back into hospital. I can't recommend Jo enough and will be using her when we are having our second child!